Women in communication: interview with Francesca Fernandes from Zenith
Coming of age is certainly an important milestone, both for a person and for a brand and, in this very particular case, for ours.
As the female turns 18, we have decided to start a Women Empowerment project that focuses on women who work in the field of communication.
Francesca Fernandes, Digital Account Director for Zenith, answered 5 significant questions for us, explaining the importance of complicity between women, in the workplace as well as in everyday life.
1. What is "being a woman" like in the world of work?
Being a woman in the world of work does not differ too much from being a woman in everyday life: it is challenging, not because of being a woman itself, which is wonderful, but because nowadays being a woman in the workplace it is certainly more complex than being a man in the same context. Statistics confirm this: there are still too many executive roles that are male-dominated. Much has certainly been done, but there is still a lot to do, because it remains difficult to reconcile personal life with that of work: being a woman means having to make decisions dictated by priorities, which can preclude or influence other areas of existence. This leads us to be more competitive with each other and with men, but I believe that the trump card for finding a scenario is complicity, since among women there is an understanding that is more difficult with men. The real turning point it could start from the transformation of competition into understanding to create a more complicit bond: women have a thousand resources and, together, they can truly take flight and have a strength that does not belong to anyone else.
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2. What was "women empowerment" for you at 18?
At 18, I associated the concept of freedom with the free expression of one's nature and being. I wanted to be able to choose what to do with my life without prejudices, stereotypes and impediments; being able to give space to one's true self, this was empowerment for me.
3. Three words you associate today with "women empowerment"
Understanding, complicity and courage. We talked about understanding and complicity, while I would like to say a few words about courage: denouncing negative or unfavorable situations and knowing that there is someone who can understand and help you is of immeasurable importance, because even today there is discrimination both in world of work than in everyday life. The keystones are solidarity, support and unity: to move forward we must begin to be more solidarity.
4. What would you say to the 18-year-old yourself?
If I had to recommend anything to myself it would be to always go on the path that leads to what I really want to do. "Always choose what you like without being influenced by anyone and always go towards plan A, because that's what you like and really want to do."
5. How much need is there to talk about women empowerment today and what should be done?
There is still a lot of need to talk about it, because there is still a strong discrimination of the role of women in the workplace as in everyday life. It is necessary to pay attention and be respectful of the role of women, in such a way as to spread messages different from those conveyed so far: it is right to continue to make irony, but with different aspects of life, which are not linked to the stereotypes of the woman relegated to the field. domestic. We need to let go of this past mindset and start thinking free of prejudice. Man and woman are different, fortunately, by nature, not in their social role or within the family.
